Andy Murray made a record-breaking fightback in the longest match of his career to beat Thanasi Kokkinakis in an Australian Open thriller in the early hours of Friday morning.
After finding himself two sets down, Murray drew on the fighting spirit he has produced so many times over the years to secure an incredible 4-6 6-7 (4-7) 7-6( 7-5) 6-3 7-5 win on Margaret Court Arena.
The battling Brit came off the ropes to become he first player in Open era history to win 10 grand slam matches from two sets down.
With the clock having ticked past 4am local time, the 35-year-old finally triumphed in what was the second-longest match (five hours and 45 minutes) in Australian Open history, only beaten by the 2012 final between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal (five hours and 53 minutes).
Here, Stats Perform takes a closer look at some of the numbers from Murray's incredible win.
Murray's unbeaten grand slam streak against Australian players continues
Murray's success over Kokkinakis ensured his unbeaten record against Australian opponents at majors remained intact, making it 12 out of 12.
The former world number one has lost all five of his finals at the Australian Open, but he is now into the third round at the tournament for the first time since 2017.
His victory over Kokkinakis made him just the fifth male player in the Open era to win more than 50 main-draw matches at the Australian Open, joining illustrious company in Roger Federer, Djokovic, Nadal and Stefan Edberg.
Murray's greater experience shows against big-serving opponent
Kokkinakis seized control of the match by taking the first two sets, but as Murray dragged the contest into the later stages, the Brit's experience in big matches showed.
The 37 aces fired down by Kokkinakis was his highest career tally in an ATP-level main-draw match and 27 more than Murray served up. Kokkinakis racked up an astonishing 102 winners to Murray's impressive 69.
Three-time grand slam champion Murray became just the seventh male player to feature in 250 grand slam main draw matches, roaring back to surpass Todd Martin and Federer for the most major victories from two sets down. It was his first such triumph at the Australian Open.
Murray has now won both meetings with Kokkinakis, after also defeating him in the 2015 Davis Cup, and sets up a third-round clash with Roberto Bautista Agut, with whom he holds a 3-3 head-to-head record.
Andy Murray could scarcely believe he managed to fight from two sets down to topple home favourite Thanasi Kokkinakis in five sets at the Australian Open.
In an epic match that began on Thursday but ticked well into the early hours of Friday in Melbourne, Murray prevailed 4-6 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 7-5 in the second-longest match in Australian Open history.
With the clock having ticked past 04:00am local time, the five-time finalist finally triumphed to become the first player in Open era history to win 10 grand slam matches having lost the opening two sets.
"I don't know. Unbelievable that I managed to turn that round," said Murray, who has reached the third round of the Australian Open for the first time since 2017.
"Thanasi was serving unbelievable. I don't know how I managed to get through it. Yeah, I have a big heart.
"I'm aware I don't look particularly happy when playing but I'm at my happiest on the inside.
"I've always loved competing and always showed my emotions when I've played. I've been criticised a lot for it over the years but that's who I am."
Finally, in a message to the fans that stuck around at Melbourne Park, Murray said: "Thanks so much to everyone for staying. It's ridiculously late. You didn't need to do that but it really helps me and Thanasi when we have all of you creating an amazing atmosphere. I think we should all get off to bed now."
Kokkinakis was in cruise control when he doubled his lead with a tie-break victory in the second set.
But he then appeared to start feeling the pressure in the third set, smashing his racquet following an angry dispute with the umpire after receiving a time violation.
Taking advantage of his opponent's loss of composure, Murray battled back from 5-2 down to force another tie-break, where Kokkinakis lost four points on his serve as the match was pushed to a fourth set.
Having been one game from defeat, the tide was turning in Murray's favour, as he teed up a decider that had looked so unlikely.
Murray spurned his first seven break points but brilliantly won his eighth attempt with the set tied at five games apiece, putting the former world number one on the verge of a stunning success.
He made no mistake as he clinched victory with a forehand winner, ending the match after five hours and 45 minutes.
Only the 2012 final between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal (five hours and 53 minutes) beating it in terms of longevity in the tournament's history.
Marco Rose joked Yann Sommer would have snubbed a move to Bayern Munich in order to reunite with him at RB Leipzig if he had only asked.
The goalkeeper made the switch to the Bundesliga champions from Borussia Monchengladbach on Thursday after almost a decade at Borussia-Park.
He arrives to replace the injured Manuel Neuer and could slot straight into the starting line-up for Bayern's league match with Leipzig on Friday.
Rose, who coached Gladbach for a two-year period between 2019 and 2021, quipped that Sommer could have made the move to another destination if he had intervened.
"He called me and said 'if you don't take me, I'll go to Bayern'," he said. "I hold Yann in very high regard, as a person but also as a player.
"I think he's had an outstanding phase [of form]. I think he's a good signing for Bayern Munich. [But] I think that Sven Ulreich is an excellent goalkeeper who has also done well.
"There will be a good goalkeeper in goal [whoever it is]. Yann, I wish all the best of course."
Sommer made 272 Bundesliga appearances for Gladbach following his arrival in 2014, and enjoyed a 71.1 save percentage among goalkeepers with more than 10 league games.
He has the second-best figures in the division this term, with 77.1 per cent, behind only the 79.1 figure posted by Union Berlin's Frederik Ronnow.
Sommer is the second new face to arrive at Bayern this transfer window, following Daley Blind from Ajax.
Gladbach moved quickly by announcing fellow Switzerland international Jonas Omlin as Sommer's successor on Thursday.
Jesse Lingard has revealed he at times used alcohol as something of a coping mechanism while he was at Manchester United.
Lingard ended his 22-year stint at United, where he came through the youth ranks, with a move to Nottingham Forest ahead of the 2022-23 season.
The 30-year-old left Old Trafford on a free transfer, having failed to find regular minutes last season despite thriving while on loan at West Ham in the previous campaign.
Lingard has explained turned to alcohol during the difficulties of his final seasons at United, as he sought to mitigate his frustrations.
"I was drinking before bed, having a nightcap," he said on The Diary Of A CEO podcast. "I look back now and think 'what was I doing that for?'
"But I needed something to try and take the pain away and put me at ease somehow. I was trying to forget what was going on. But it makes it 10 times worse.
"You're getting that much abuse, and I'm already down enough, and I've got to perform. I'm already going through things you don't know about. I felt like the world was on my shoulders."
Lingard made 232 senior appearances for United and helped them win the EFL Cup and Europa League.
He scored in their 2017 EFL Cup final victory over Southampton and will go up against his former club when Forest meet them in the semi-finals of that competition on January 25.
United seem to be on an upward trajectory under Erik ten Hag, though Lingard believes they are still "miles" behind rival clubs.
He said: "[There was] no balance, no structure, people doing what they want. It was like a free for all.
"They are so behind with everything. You see [Manchester] City's facilities, Tottenham's facilities. People are miles ahead.
"I just want them to get up to date on the new things that are happening. You've got to stay relevant [and] catch up a bit."
Former Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Enock Mwepu has been discharged from a specialist heart hospital in his native Zambia.
Mwepu was forced to retire from playing in October after being diagnosed with a hereditary heart condition.
Amid reports the ex-Zambia international had suffered a heart attack at the weekend, Brighton released a statement confirming he was "undergoing precautionary checks".
The 25-year-old has now been released from Lusaka Heart Hospital after a four-day admission and will continue his recuperation at home.
When announcing his retirement three months ago, Brighton said Mwepu was at an "extremely high risk of suffering a potentially fatal cardiac event" if he continued playing.
He has since taken on a role as academy coach of the Premier League side.
Max Verstappen is confident Red Bull will use the punishments issued for budget cap breaches as "extra motivation" to succeed in 2023.
The team, who won the Constructor's Championship for the first time since 2013 last season, have been hit with wind tunnel testing restrictions and CFD limitations after they were judged to have breached financial regulations.
The full impact of those punishments is unclear but a reduction in time allowed in the wind tunnel could lead Red Bull to fall behind their rivals in aerodynamic developments, causing them to lose time on the fastest sections of Formula One tracks.
Rivals Ferrari are reported to have made significant gains ahead of the 2023 campaign, with their car said to be a second faster than their 2022 vehicle, while Mercedes made clear improvements at the back end of last season.
However, Verstappen, bidding to win a third consecutive championship, expects Red Bull to be in the running and feels the punishments issued can provide additional encouragement for the team.
"Well, I mean, it will affect us, but how much? I don't know yet," he told the F1's official website.
"I'm confident that the team, and the people we have, can use that as extra motivation to try and do even better. I know, of course, they always give their best.
"But we have a very competitive car, we have a lot of great ideas, I think, already for next year as well with the car, and hopefully it’s going to be enough."
F1 teams head to Bahrain in February for pre-season testing, before the new campaign begins in Sakhir on March 5.
Ons Jabeur became the latest big-name casualty at the Australian Open when she suffered a second-round defeat to Marketa Vondrousova.
Jabeur has been hampered by knee and back injuries at the start of the season and the second seed suffered more pain on Rod Laver Arena, where the excellent Vondrousova sealed a 6-1 5-7 6-1 win in the early hours of Friday morning in Melbourne.
Vondrousova has been troubled by multiple wrist injuries since she was a runner-up at the French Open in 2019, but appears to have put those issues behind her.
The Czech left-hander dominated the first and final sets after Jabeur showed her fighting spirit in the second to force a decider at Melbourne Park.
A runner-up at Wimbledon and the US Open last year, tenacious Tunisian Jabeur appeared to be in some pain and struggling for breath during a match in which she made 50 unforced errors.
The world number two struck 27 winners to her opponent's 17, but followed the likes of Rafael Nadal, Casper Ruud and Emma Raducanu in making early exits when she overcooked a forehand.
Vondrousova, ranked 78th after an injury-hit 2022 season in which missed three of the four grand slams, will face compatriot Linda Fruhvirtova in round three.
The New England Patriots and the Kansas City Chiefs are the among the five teams set to host matches in London and Germany as part of the NFL's 2023 International Games.
The Buffalo Bills, the Tennessee Titans, and the Jacksonville Jaguars complete the quintet heading to Europe as designated home teams during the 2023 season.
London's Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will welcome the Bills and the Titans, while the Jaguars return to their home away from home at Wembley Stadium as part of their multi-year commitment to playing in the UK.
The 2023 season will mark a landmark 10th appearance for Jacksonville in London, while the Bills (2015) and Titans (2018) will make their second appearance in the city.
Two games will also take place in Germany, with the Chiefs and the Patriots set to feature, though venues are yet to be confirmed.
The NFL previously announced that Munich, which hosted the clash between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks in 2022, and Frankfurt will stage games in Germany over the next four years.
Details on the dates, opponents and kick-off times will be announced later in the year when the full schedule for the 2023 NFL season is announced.
Aryna Sabalenka was stuck in the biggest crisis of her tennis career 12 months ago, but the Belarusian big-hitter has found light at the end of a dark tunnel.
In a second-round win over Wang Xinyu at the 2022 Australian Open, Sabalenka served 19 double faults, and it was remarkable that she still pulled off the victory.
But it was no blip. In four matches, stretching from the 2021 WTA Finals to two tournaments in Adelaide at the beginning of the 2022 season, Sabalenka served a total of 74 double faults.
She considered it a success in round three at the Australian Open when she served 10 double faults against Marketa Vondrousova, such was the extent of her problem.
"I think it's more mental," Sabalenka said at the time, "because I put a lot of pressure on myself about my serve, and the last matches I was trying to control everything on my serve; my legs, my arm, the ball toss. And it was overthinking."
A year on, and Sabalenka is looking a different player, one that perhaps might finally be ready to win a singles grand slam.
That breakthrough might come this fortnight, with Sabalenka in scintillating form on Thursday as she beat Shelby Rogers 6-3 6-1 on Rod Laver Arena.
And here's the thing: she served three aces and not one double fault.
The yips have been cured.
"I worked a lot on my serve," said the 24-year-old after the Rogers match. "Like, really a lot. You can't even imagine how much I worked. I'm just super happy right now that everything is working.
"Oh, my God, I did almost everything to try to fix my serve. The whole year we were trying different things mentally, mental stuff, technique, technical, trying to breathe differently.
"I tried a lot. I watched a lot of different videos, from when I had no problems, when I had problems, trying to understand what is different."
Sabalenka had three double faults in her first-round win over Tereza Martincova, but three is fine, normal even. Zero in round two is something special.
The fifth seed will tackle Belgium's Elise Mertens on Saturday for a place in the last 16, knowing she managed to make it through to round four last year with a malfunctioning game.
The sky is the limit for Sabalenka if the serve is reliable. A three-time slam semi-finalist, her all-round numbers against Rogers were good, with 32 winners against 18 unforced errors a healthy ratio.
She reached the title match at the WTA Finals in November, a big moment at the end of a challenging year. Now a bigger goal is in her sights.
Eddie Jones has revealed he held talks with Australia while he was England head coach and is relishing a "great rivalry" with his former team.
Jones was sacked as England boss last month and has been replaced by Steve Borthwick, who was employed as the Australian's forwards coach with the Red Rose and his assistant during his Japan tenure.
The 62-year-old Jones this week sensationally returned for a second spell as Wallabies head coach, with Dave Rennie fired eight months before the Rugby World Cup starts in France.
Jones was due to end his England reign after the World Cup and had already spoken to Rugby Australia about the possibility of returning to his homeland prior to being shown the door by the Rugby Football Union (RFU).
"I don't know of anyone who doesn't think about their future," Jones, who said the talks were with a view to taking over once his England duties had ended, told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"I can't see how that is being disloyal or whatever people want to portray it as being."
Australia could face England at the quarter-final stage of the World Cup and Jones would welcome a reunion.
"I think the nice thing about playing against a team you have coached previously is that you've got these relationships with players and maybe with some staff," he said.
"It creates a really good rivalry. I enjoyed coaching against Australia and coaching against Michael Cheika, and I'll enjoy coaching against Steve Borthwick and England."
Novak Djokovic described his hamstring injury as "not good at all" after the muscle caused him fresh concern during a second-round win at the Australian Open.
The nine-time Melbourne Park champion needed off-court treatment in set two of his match against French qualifier Enzo Couacaud.
He lost that set, but Djokovic was able to step it up to complete a 6-1 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 6-0 victory over the world number 191.
Speaking afterwards, Djokovic was asked about the left hamstring and painted a bleak picture.
He told Eurosport: "It's not good at all, to be honest with you. I take it day to day. It was better last match, the feeling, than tonight.
"It's really up to God to help me, and the physio and everyone. I hope I'll be able to recover and be ready for a tough match-up next match."
Grigor Dimitrov awaits Djokovic in round three, with the Bulgarian a tricky customer, albeit one who trails 9-1 in the rivalry between the pair.
Djokovic's latest win, his 23rd match victory in succession at the Australian Open, was nothing if not eventful, with Couacaud turning his ankle early on and looking in danger of having to abandon the biggest match of his career.
Later on, Djokovic demanded the umpire take action after claiming rowdy fans were distracting him by shouting out.
"There was a lot happening in tonight's match," Djokovic said in an on-court interview.
"Enzo deserves credit for the fight. He played some great tennis, especially in the second set. I managed to respond well in the third and especially in the fourth. Let's keep it going."
Antonio Conte believes it is unfair to ask him whether Harry Kane is frustrated with Tottenham's progress.
The head coach says there are reasons to be encouraged by how Spurs are developing, and he does not consider himself the person that should face questions about England captain Kane.
Speaking ahead of Thursday's Premier League game against Manchester City, the club that had their eyes on Kane 18 months ago, Conte took issue when a reporter asked whether star striker Kane might be frustrated by a lack of investment and advances.
Tottenham sit fifth in the table, five points behind fourth-placed Newcastle United, needing a big second half of the season to stake a claim for Champions League football next term.
"When we organise the [press] conference with the club, you can ask," Conte said. "You can ask this question to the club. Keep these questions for the future and I hope for you that this does happen one day so that you can make this question to the club.
"It's not disrespectful to you, but I repeat we are always saying the same thing. Why do I always have to answer difficult questions and you try with this question or put me in difficulty with the club, with the environment?
"I hope you understand that I don't want to create problems because I always say that I like the way that we are working here, what we are doing, and stop, because in the past I think that I said a lot."
Kane is one short of matching Jimmy Greaves' goals record for Spurs, which stands at 266, and two away from reaching 200 goals in the Premier League. He is under contract until the end of next season.
Conte was also asked whether he might consider changing his formation or tactics. He has been favouring wing-backs and is not against switching to a different system, but the former Juventus boss believes the 3-4-3 shape is one that suits Tottenham the best for now.
"You have to know that when you put the best players on the pitch, you don't have on the bench the possibility to change the game," Conte said. "But in my career, I played with four [in defence] and I won two championships with 4-2-4.
"And then at Juventus, I started this way. At Chelsea, I started to play with the 4-2-3-1, 4-4-2, and then I changed it because the characteristic of the players was not so good to play with four at the back.
"And when I arrived last season at Tottenham, I found the solution for the characteristic of the players. In my opinion, that this is the best solution for the characteristic of the players but in the future, probably, we can try but if we lose I'll justify [it]."
Novak Djokovic avoided becoming the latest Australian Open seed to fall as he survived an injury scare to see off French qualifier Enzo Couacaud.
After Casper Ruud, Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz were all sent packing earlier on Thursday, the question was whether Djokovic would become the ultimate casualty on a day of shocks.
The nine-time champion was troubled by his left hamstring problem during the second set, which went the way of world number 191 Couacaud, but Djokovic reasserted himself to secure a 6-1 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 6-0 victory on Rod Laver Arena.
The Serbian became increasingly incensed by shouting from the crowd during the match, pinpointing one fan as a chief culprit and telling the umpire during the fourth set: "The guy is drunk out of his mind. I'm asking you what you're you going to do about it. You heard it at least 10 times; I heard it 50 times."
Djokovic appeared to be pointing towards a group in 'Where's Wally?' fancy dress, who were reacting as though they were enjoying the moment before being spoken to by tournament officials.
It was a surprise the match reached a fourth set.
Mauritius-born Couacaud turned his ankle in the fourth game of the contest and retreated to his chair, seemingly in tears as he looked to cover his face with his towel.
The 27-year-old received medical treatment, getting the ankle strapped up, and he gamely battled on, albeit struggling initially.
It was then Djokovic who needed an injury timeout in the second set, going off court when trailing 5-4 and feeling some discomfort in the hamstring that has been troubling him during the last fortnight.
Couacaud took advantage and won the set, but from that point on it became all Djokovic, as he moved through to round three.
Data Slam: Djokovic sets up Dimitrov clash
Next for Djokovic will be a battle with the 27th seed, Grigor Dimitrov. He described the Bulgarian as a good friend and said they were "Balkan brothers". The rivalry on the court has been emphatically one-sided between Djokovic and Dimitrov, though, with nine of their past 10 meetings having gone the way of the Serbian.
Dimitrov's lone win came on clay in Madrid in 2013, while it will be a third grand slam match between the pair, with Djokovic having notched up previous victories at the French Open and Wimbledon.
ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS
Djokovic– 9/6
Couacaud – 7/2
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Djokovic– 63/36
Couacaud – 36/32
BREAK POINTS WON
Djokovic– 7/21
Couacaud – 0/1
Steve Smith will prepare for the Ashes and Australia's likely participation in the World Test Championship final by playing three County Championship games for Sussex.
The prolific batter will face Worcestershire and Leicestershire before coming up against Australia team-mate Marnus Labuschagne in a Division Two match against Glamorgan in May.
Smith, ranked as the second-best Test batter in the world behind Labuschagne, is then expected to feature in the World Test Championship final at The Oval in June – with Australia having all-but qualified.
The former Australia captain will hope a short spell with Sussex ensures he is in great touch by the time the first Ashes Test starts against England at Edgbaston on June 16.
Smith told Sussex's official website: "I am excited about joining Sussex for a few games in May and hopefully making a contribution to a successful season.
"I am particularly looking forward to working with the younger players in the squad and hoping I can provide some guidance to them."
The 33-year-old has previous experience of playing county cricket for Worcestershire.
Smith made a staggering 30th Test century in his last appearance for his country against South Africa at the SCG this month.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
